Red Like Roses, Gray Like Lead
by Infinity Unit 13
Summary: "The world is a confusing place. Some may see it in white, good, or black, bad. But, there are those who see it in gray, the realists. They see the world as it truly is: a mix of both. I am one of them. I know the good, and I've seen the bad. So let me tell you this, no matter how bad you think you have it, there is always someone out there who has it worse." OCxRuby.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Heyo guys! So this is the rewrite of my "The Gray Rose" fanfic! I hope I got a few aspects of Ruby correct, and that I fixed a few mistakes from my other fanfic. But hey, that's for you guys to decide!**

 **Anyways, read on!**

()()()()()

Beacon Academy:

Ruby was not having the best of Fridays. To start it off, Yang had forgotten to put away the dust crystal that Miss Goodwitch had given to their team as a research project. Each team in the class had gotten one dust crystal, with Team RWBY receiving a Fire Elemental Dust Crystal. Their assignment was to figure out the ways that dust can be utilized in combat, besides the traditional bullet. Yang had left their fire crystal on top of the desk last night, where Ruby spent almost all last night trying to catch up on a homework assignment from Dr. Oobleck. She had fallen asleep on the desk that night.

She was not happy when she woke up. She had barely managed to open her eyes before she sneezed, causing the small amounts of dust powder around her to create mini explosions, thus plastering soot all across her face. To add insult to injury, Jaune had woken up to the sound of mini explosions, came into their room, and laughed hysterically while pointing at her and saying 'Crater Face'.

Ruby hoped that Jaune got out of the infirmary before the weekend finished.

Ruby was currently in her last class, waiting anxiously for it to end. She looked at the clock while tapping her foot and drumming her fingers impatiently against the desk. Finally, the minute hand stopped over the 5, and the teacher dismissed the class. Ruby was the first one out of the room, due to the use of her semblance. She ran all the way back to the RWBY dorm and flopped on the bed with a sigh of bliss and pure, utter relief.

"Nap time!" She cried out before burying herself into her covers.

Unfortunately, 'Nap Time' was not meant to happen...

For now.

Yang kicked the door of their room down, startling Ruby and causing her to fall of the bed. Yang stared at Ruby with a deadpan expression. "You were... napping?" She asked.

Ruby crossed her arms. "Well, I was having a bad day! I had all of my least favorite classes today, and before that, I woke up to explosions, curtesy of our Fire Dust Crystal that was left on the desk by a _certain someone here!_ " She replied, a pout making its way to her face after her little rant.

Yang threw her hands up in a surrendering manner. "Alright, alright. Geez Rubes, I was just askin'."

Ruby sighed. "Sorry Yang."

Yang nodded. "Yeah, aaannnywaaaay, Weiss-Cream wants you to go into the city and get some supplies."

Ruby tilted her head cutely in confusion. "What for? Doesn't Beacon supply us with the necessities already?" She asked.

Yang shrugged. "Yeah, but our Ice Queen gave a list of things that she wants you to get, soooo, here ya' go! Okay Rubes, I'll catch ya' later, gotta get started on that assignment that's due tomorrow!" She said as she thrust a small sheet of paper into her sister's hands and began walking out of the room.

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "Which one? There is no assignment due tomorrow, at least, that I haven't finished."

"The one that was assigned last week!" Yang called out to her sister as she ran out of the room and out of the dorms.

Ruby sighed, "But that was due the next day after it was assigned." She muttered.

She glanced at the list in her hands before giggling at one of the items listed. "Ice cream, that's obviously for Weiss!" She snickered.

She sighed before heading out to get the materials.

()()()()()

Beacon Academy Dock:

Ruby climbed into the Bullhead that would take her to Vale. Suddenly, an odd sense of dread rolled over her, sending a chill down her spine. "What was that?" She asked her self.

She brushed it off as her being paranoid and waited for the Bullhead to start up. A few minutes later, the Bullhead was in the air, and began its descent to Vale. Ruby stared out the window down onto the city. She was shaken out of her thoughts when suddenly, a violent shutter shook the aircraft, causing her to fall to the ground.

"What's going on?!" She yelled to the Bullhead pilot.

"I-I don't know! The engine's failing!" The pilot yelled as he snatched the radio from the console. "Mayday! Mayday! This is BH-103, we are going down, I repeat, we are going down! Sudden engine failure, cause unknown!"

The ground seemed to be getting closer and closer. "Brace for impac-"

Ruby crashed into the console, and everything went black.

()()()()()

Journal Entry #54:

 _I've had enough. I can't do this anymore. The nightmares, the memories, they still haunt me. I... I hope my siblings can forgive me for doing this. Why am I crying? I'm not allowed to cry. I've learned that, no matter how hard you think you have it, someone out there always has it worse than you do. I can't cry. I won't cry._

 _I bid this world farewell._

()()()()()

Earth, New York:

A lone boy sat in his room, with the lights off and in silence. The rays of the moon shined dimly through the rooms blinds, bathing the room in an eerie blue. The boy reached beside, grasping an object on the bed.

A gun.

He brought it to his lap and observed it. It was a chrome M1911, with a single bullet loaded in the chamber. He sighed and raised the gun to his temple, his finger twitching ever so closely to the trigger.

"Coward." He muttered to himself.

"Do it already."

()()()()()

Earth, New York:

Ruby woke up in a dark alleyway. Her hand reached for Crescent Rose, ready for anything. She observed her surroundings. Judging from the lack of sun and light in the sky, it was night time. There was door in front of her, which she went to, only to find that it was locked.

"Darn." She huffed. She looked around again. There was only a wall opposite of the door, so the door was the only exit. Unless...

Ruby looked up and saw a window directly above her. Silently, she grasped the ledge and hauled herself up. She took out Crescent Rose but shifted it only into it's sniper mode. She slowly climbed into the building. The window led into a small kitchen of sorts, barely big enough to accommodate two people. Fighting the urge to take one of the cookies in the jar to her left, she crept through the house, trying to find an exit. She saw a door to her right after creeping around for a few seconds, and went to it. She touched the door knob, and turned it, opening the door and flinching when it creaked.

She looked around, only for her gaze to rest on the silhouette of a boy on the bed, a gun pointed at his head. The boy turned his head to look at her through the corner of his eye, a single blue iris peeking through the shadows. "Who are you?" He asked, his voice cold and void of emotion.

In response to his voice, Ruby accidentally shifted Crescent Rose into it's scythe form. The boy's eye seems to widen a little, before he nodded. "I see, you're the Grim Reaper." He said, his tone laced with understanding.

Not knowing which type of 'Grim' the boy meant, Ruby stuttered, "I-I... Uh... S-Sure?"

"Well then, get it over with." He said, turning to her. He tilted his head upwards slightly, leaving his neck wide open for her to... slice.

Now knowing what he meant, Ruby backpedaled. "N-No! Not like that! I-I thought you were talking about s-something else! I-I could never do that!"

The boy shrugged. "Whatever." He said simply, before moving to raise the gun to his temple again.

"Wait!" Ruby cried out.

The boy faltered before stopping. "What?"

"Why?" Ruby asked, "why are you doing this?"

The boy was silent, seemingly in thought, before sighing. He flicked the safety on before dropping the gun, and rested his head in hands. "A selfish reason."

Ruby adopted a confused expression. She shook her head and grabbed the gun, before sliding it as far away as possible from both of them. The boy immediately tensed up, his fists clenched. Ruby could see his eyes darting around the room through his fingers, although she couldn't understand why, until she realized that she was armed and he was not. Ruby quickly set down Crescent Rose and lightly slid away from her.

She put her hands up to show that she had no weapons, and slowly walked towards the boy. The boy lifted his head and stared at her, before getting up and walking right past her. She turned around and saw him flick a switch on the wall. Light filled the room, temporarily blinding Ruby due to the sudden change in brightness. Once her eyes adjusted, she saw that the boy was back on the bed.

She had a clear view of his features now. He had black hair, a single streak of gray present. His hair was combed to his left. He was heterochromic, with a chilling blue left eye and a blood red right eye. Ruby peered into his eyes, and found that they were alert, aware, and yet, they were so saddening. He was around her age, likely older than her. He was tall, with her head reaching his chest just barely. His expression was blank, yet the question on his eyes were as clear as day.

"Who are you, and what are you doing in my house?" He asked cautiously, his eyes narrowing as he clenched his fist.

"M-My name is R-Ruby Rose. I-I'm a Huntress." She stuttered out, a bit scared by the way he was looking at her. He was analyzing her, his eyes flicking up and down.

"A Huntress? Then why heck are you in the city? Shouldn't you be out in the wild, hunting for deer or something?" He asked.

"What's a deer?" She asked, with the tilt of her head.

The boy seemed to be taken aback by her question, analyzing her again before sighing. "You really don't know what a deer is, huh?"

Ruby shook her head 'no'.

"Great."

"I hunt the Grimm. Don't you know that? That's what Huntsmen and Huntresses do." She informed.

The boy was confused, and shook his head.

"What?! Where are we?!" Ruby asked incredulously.

"New York, Downtown _, Earth. Why?" The boy answered, unsure of her behavior.

"Earth? I've never heard of a place like that. And what's New York?" Ruby asked, genuinely confused. The boy's eyes widened after he analyzed her and found that she was not lying.

"You don't know what Earth is?" He asked, flabbergasted. Shock was the first emotion that Ruby had seen on the boy's face.

"Um... No, I don't. Should I?" Ruby asked innocently.

The boy sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face.

"Okay, so tell me, where exactly are you from?" He asked.

Ruby perked up at the question. "I'm from Vale, in the Kingdom of Haven on Remnant."

The boy sighed. "Are you some cosplayer or something?" He asked her.

"What?"

He sighed again. "Never mind. Look, I just tried to kill myself, and I met a girl that convinced me not do it immediately after, so quite frankly, I'm a little tired in the brain. So please, can you just go home to your mom and dad?" The boy asked her, a tinge of exhaustion laced in his voice.

Ruby looked down with a sad frown. "My mother died while fighting the Grimm." She replied, sadness hitting the boy like a truck from the way she had said it. But he shook his head.

"I'm sorry. You have my condolences." He said to her earnestly.

"I don't know where I am, and I have nowhere else to go." She said out loud, her thoughts running frantically.

The boy raised an eyebrow before he scrubbed his face. "Do you... want to stay here?"

Ruby looked up at this.

"I-I understand if you don't want to! You know, I just tried to-" but whatever the boy was going to say was cut off when Ruby tackled him to the floor in a hug.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" Ruby exclaimed cheerfully, expressing her gratitude in full.

"Hey hey! Take it easy, it's not that big of a deal." The boy said, flushed, as he tried to calm her down.

"Still, I'm really grateful." Ruby responded, still hugging the boy's torso like a stuffed teddy bear.

"C-Could you, let me go n-now?" The boy asked, uncomfortable from the sudden embrace.

Ruby eyes snapped open in realization and she flew away from him. "Ah! I'm really, really, really, sorry!"

The boy sighed and massaged his temple. "It's alright, really."

Ruby suddenly thought of something. "Hey, I never caught your name."

The boy looked at her, and tried for a smile, which instead looked like a small grin. "My name is Kazuo, Kazuo Grey. It is a pleasure to meet you."

 **A/N: Aaaaaannd done! How was this chapter? I hoped I corrected a few things, and made Kazuo a little less depressing. Anyways, I hope I did a good job, and the next chapter will be up in... Two weeks? Maybe. I don't know. We shall see. Anyways, have a splendid day!**

 **IU13, Out!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Okay, I just wanna clear up something before any of you guys get confused. This fic occurs after Volume 1. And I'm sorry for my inactivity. I know that I may not be the best writer, (for sure), but that doesn't give me the excuse to just leave you guys hanging. Anyways, here's the chapter**

 **Enjoy!**

()()()()()

Earth, Kazuo's Apartment:

Ruby and Kazuo sat in Kazuo's room silently. The lack of sound was deafening, and, it goes without saying, awkward. Like, walking into your best friend about to shower, awkward. Ruby shivered at that thought.

Both parties were panicking, frantically trying to find a conversation starter in their minds.

Ruby was the first to speak. "S-So, um... Kazuo."

Kazuo looked up. "Y-Yeah?"

"Wh-What's your favorite dessert?" Ruby asked awkwardly.

The silence afterwards was deafening, so much so that a dropped pin could be heard.

"Uh... Cookies?" He answered, his reply more of a question than a response.

Ruby's eyes visibly brightened and Kazuo leaned back when she suddenly bolted up to him, directly in front of his face.

"Me too! Ohmygosh what's your favorite kind?! I like Chocolate chip because they are hea~venly! But I hate raisin ones because they deceive you so badly when you bite into a cookie! I also like sugar cookies, they're pretty awesome too! Do you have cookies here?! I feel like cookies now! To the kitchen!" Ruby blasted off after her little cookie rant.

Kazuo blinked twice, before he scratched the back of his head in confusion. "What was that?"

His gaze rested on the gun that was discarded to the floor, and he picked it up from its place on the wood. He inspected it, before carrying it over to his nightstand, where he gently placed the firearm inside a drawer, covering it with a cloth.

He went to check up on Ruby, before he realized something. He looked around his room. Closet, TV, nightstand, fan, a shelf, 3 book shelves.

One bed.

"Ah crap. Where is she gonna sleep?" Kazuo muttered to himself. He looked at his bed before sighing. "I guess I'll sleep on the couch tonight."

He shrugged before walking to the kitchen, only to that the red-cloaked scythe wielder had nearly finished all of his cookies. "Oi! What are ya' doin' eaten all those cookies eh?! My sister made those ya' know!"

Ruby seemed to be crying tears of pure bliss as she nibbled on said dessert. "Umf sowwy! Thur sho gwood!" She cried out with her mouth full.

Kazuo was about to take away the cookie jar when Ruby suddenly finished her cookie and jumped back away from him, hissing all the while. "These are too good! These are destined to be eaten, and they shall be! As in right now!" She exclaimed, striking an odd pose while the cookie jar was firmly tucked underneath her arm.

She was about to run off again before Kazuo grabbed her cloak by the hood and jerked back, causing Ruby to jerk backwards with it. Kazuo snatched the jar from her arm and slid onto the countertop before catching Ruby, preventing her from actually impacting the floor.

Ruby felt a little dizzy, holding her head in an attempt to stop the headache caused by the sudden pull. She glared up at Kazuo playfully before sticking her tongue out at him. It was at that moment, Ruby noticed there was something odd about this picture.

Ruby, at the moment, was below Kazuo, held up by his arms, with her head a few inches away from the floor. Their faces were close enough that they could feel each others breath, and the two were stuck there, staring into each others eyes.

Comically, they both blinked at the same time, before Kazuo quickly let go of Ruby, which in turn, caused her to drop to the floor.

He cursed under his breath before leaning towards her. She was rubbing the back of her head, a full pout aimed directly at him. This made Kazuo falter a little, but he quickly apologized. "S-Sorry. I-I was j-just surprised."

Ruby fidgeted a little while looking away from Kazuo's worried gaze. "I-It's alright."

Kazuo held out his hand for her to take, and she complied. He pulled her up. The two stood there in awkward silence for a full minute before Kazuo suddenly clapped his hands.

"Well! It's 10:56 right now, and I don't know about you, but I feel rather tired." Kazuo said, glancing at the clock before turning back to Ruby.

"O-Okay."

He looked at her for a few seconds, before smiling. "You can sleep on my bed. I'll sleep on the couch, until I get some sort of guest bed."

"S-Sure."

Kazuo sighed. "Look, I know you miss home. I can see it in your eyes. So, if you want to talk to me about... uhh..."

"Remnant?" Ruby inserted.

"Yeah, Remnant. Look, just know that you can talk to me if you feel down or anything. I should know, I have two younger siblings, so I know a thing or two about counseling." Kazuo said in an attempt to sooth any of the red-themed girl's worries.

"Y'know what, Kazuo?"

Said boy raised an eyebrow in response. "What?"

Ruby looked up with a small smile. "You're a really good friend." She said before giving him a firm hug.

Kazuo, surprised by the sudden gesture, panicked a little. "W-Woah! H-Hey we just met! I mean, I appreciate the gesture and everything, but aren't you the least worried about me doing something?" Kazuo asked.

Ruby shook her head, that radiant smile of hers plastered on her face. "Nope! I can tell that you're a really good person!" She exclaimed.

Kazuo couldn't help but give a smile in return. Dang, this girl was really getting under his skin. This is like his sister all over again, but much, much worse!

"Alright, well, tell me if you need anything. I'll be right here, so I won't be very far. Alright?" Kazuo smiled before giving a light ruffle to Ruby's hair. God, how tempting that urge had been since he first saw her.

"Okay. Thank you, Kazuo." Ruby expressed her gratitude sincerely, before she walked off to Kazuo's bedroom. Kazuo himself went to the living room and plopped himself on the couch, sitting there in the dark doing absolutely nothing.

He looked around him before he saw his Xbox One. Thanking his lucky stars that it was the weekend, he grinned. "Maybe a few video games?" He asked himself, before promptly going over and turning on the console. He put in one of the game discs, (Ahem* Destiny Ahem*) and waited for the console to boot up.

"Alright, let's see. A raid?"

()()()()()

Earth, Kazuo's Apartment,

The next day:

Ruby Rose opened her eyes to a creamy white ceiling. Half-expecting it to be the RWBY dorm, she absentmindedly greeted Yang. "Morning Yang..." She said with a yawn, before her eyes snapped wide open in realization. She got up from the bed and looked around, a sudden feeling of sadness washing over her when she saw that she was still with Kazuo. But then, that feeling of sadness was replaced with contentment.

"Ha! Take that Oryx you Taken idiot!"

A loud yell stripped her of whatever drowsiness that she had remaining, and caused her to get out of bed and find the source of the sudden noise. She walked down the hallway and into the living room, where she saw Kazuo wearing black and green headsets while holding a strange object in his hands. There were dark circles under his eyes, signaling his lack of sleep. Seeing as he hadn't noticed her yet, Ruby snuck around him to get a better look at what he was looking at.

It was a game, if the way his characters moved according to the positioning of the joy sticks were any indication. Ruby was fascinated by the weapons shown, including a large, belt-fed machine gun, a rocket launcher, a sword crackling with lightning, and others. She tapped Kazuo's shoulder to get his attention.

He whirled around, controller above his head ready to strike down any opponent. But, his grip on the controller faltered when he saw Ruby's scared expression, her body on the floor from the sudden reaction. He sighed.

"Sorry Ruby. You just startled me, that's all." He quickly apologized after setting the controller down. He slid off the head set and stood up to help Ruby. He held out his hand, which Ruby grabbed and pulled herself up with. Kazuo looked back to the TV screen and turned it off with the remote, before making his way to the console and turning it off as well.

He then went into the kitchen, a small area that was purely white and accommodated a single refrigerator/freezer, a microwave, oven/stove, and a sink. The rest of the kitchen was used for cabinets.

"So, what do you wanna eat?" He asked Ruby as he opened the fridge.

"Uh... Cookies!" She exclaimed.

The answer he received made Kazuo stop what he was doing and slowly turn to her. "Cookies? Really? This early in the morning? It's literally 6:14 right now. Did I mention that it was morning?"

Ruby placed her hands on her hips and gave him a sort of sassy pose. "I know that, I'm not an idiot. And yes, I want cookies this early in the morning. I have a certain amount of cookies I need to eat each day unless I-"

"No, not happening." Kazuo cut her off, returning to the fridge and rummaging through the food within. It was at this point, that Ruby had marched up to him and gave him the best pout she could muster, which was one of, if not the most, cutest pouts known to man.

Fortunately for one and unfortunately for the other, Kazuo was very tolerant. "Not happening, little reaper."

Ruby's pour turned into a frown. "Little reaper? Where did that come from?"

"Eh, nickname I thought of when I saw you with that scythe. By the way, you should really take off your shoes. I hope you took them off before going to sleep?"

Ruby nodded before she took off her shoes and dashed off to the where she assumed the front door was, before placing her boots right next to a pair of blue and black all-weather boots.

She went back to the kitchen to find Kazuo in the kitchen about to cook pancakes. He took out the pans and then found the quick mix in one of the cupboards. While Kazuo was cooking their breakfast, Ruby was walking around the apartment trying to find something to do. During her little venture, she found a small and thin, black rectangular object about 4 inches long, 2 inches wide and a few centimeters thick. It was all black except for a single icon on the back which was of an apple with a chunk taken out. There were a few buttons on the object.

Ruby pressed a button on the top of the object, causing it to come to life. An image of Kazuo and two other people, -seemingly younger than him-, standing in front of a large black banner with a golden circle and a spear with crossed guns within the circle. Underneath the symbol were the words, "Golden Laser Range: Laser Tag & More." They were smiling brightly, even Kazuo. They were all holding what seemed to be guns, but they were flashing along with the colored vests that they wore.

Suddenly, Kazuo's voice caused her to nearly drop the object in her hands. She pressed the button again, causing the image to fade away, before bringing it with her to the kitchen. She sat down at the small table right in front of the kitchen and waited. A few moments later, a stack of pancakes on a plate appeared in front of her, along with a bottle of syrup and another but smaller plate with butter. Kazuo sat down in the seat opposite of her and set down his plate as well.

Ruby placed the rectangular object on the table before grabbing the syrup and pouring it onto her pancakes. Kazuo raised an eyebrow at her while he chewed his food after seeing her pull out the object. "Um... Ruby? Why do you have my phone?" He asked her.

Ruby looked up from her plate and tilted her head in confusion. Seeing this, Kazuo pointed to the black rectangular object next to Ruby's plate. "That thing?" She asked.

"Yeah, why do you have it?"

"I found it while I was exploring the apartment," she replied as she handed it to Kazuo, "although I don't understand why you don't use scrolls."

Now it was Kazuo's turn to be confused. "Scrolls? Why would we use scrolls?"

Ruby blinked at Kazuo's question before taking out her scroll, which was in her pocket. She flipped it open, and showed it to Kazuo. "This is a scroll. It serves as a phone and a tablet, allowing us to manage our aura usage, as well as serve as a communication and gaming device."

Kazuo gingerly took the scroll from Ruby and touched the glowing holographic screen. "Woah. What the heck is this made of? The holograph doesn't even budge. It's completely solid! According to research, of course with modern technology taken into account, it's nearly impossible to change the physical properties of light and convert it into a solid, although that's only from what I've read. How does this work? It sure isn't glass, because glass doesn't alter it's size like that to change from a phone to a tablet."

Ruby assumed a thinking position before shrugging. "I don't know. I just received and used it. Never bothered to look into it."

"Well, this is obviously not a scroll. This is just way too cool and high-tech. I'm sure if people found this, the government would be hammering you with questions. You might wanna keep this a secret." Kazuo advised as he handed the device back to Ruby.

Ruby raised an eyebrow at this. "Why?"

Kazuo just shook his head. "Trust me, if the movies I've watched and the games that I've played are anything to go on, government interrogations are long, exhausting, and most importantly, extremely boring."

Ruby sweat dropped. "Heheh, heh. Riight, because they're always true." She dryly commented.

Kazuo gave Ruby an odd glare, one that held no real menace. "I know that. But I'm just saying, as a precaution."

Ruby just sighed. "Okay, fine by me."

The table set into a comfortable silence as the two ate. The occasional clink of forks against plates rang out in the apartment. Suddenly, Kazuo's phone rang, and the screen lit up with the picture of a silver withered skull, not human, and shaped more like a horse's.

He pressed the answer button and stood up from the table. "Excuse me," he said as he left the room.

Ruby sat there eating silently for a few minutes. When Kazuo returned, dressed in lined lined jeans and a black hoodie, he quickly polished off his plate before taking it to the kitchen to wash.

"Hey Ruby? I... uh... I have to go somewhere today. I'm not entirely sure whether or not to bring you, s-so I'm kind of giving the decision to you."

 _'I don't know if she'll burn down the house if I'm not here.' He thought._

Ruby rested a finger in her chin, assuming a thinking pose, before giving a thumbs up.

"I'll go! I want to see if there are any candy stores around here. Or better yet, a bakery!" Ruby exclaimed.

Kazuo swore he saw cookies in her eyes. Has he lost his mind?

"Eh, why a bakery? I think I already know the answer, but I just want to make sure." Kazuo asked, a little uneasy. The reason why?

"For the holy goodness that is chocolate chip cookies!"

He worked at the bakery next to his apartment.

 _'Well, I guess I'm gonna be baking even when I'm not at work.' Kazuo mused._

"Turns out I was right. *Sigh* Let's just get going. Jake'll be irritated if I'm late." He grumbled before putting on his boots, the blue and black all-weather boots next to Ruby's. From her perspective, Ruby saw the same silver skull on his back. The same one she saw on his phone.

"Hey Kazuo?"

"Yeah?" He answered without looking, busying himself with securing his boots to his feet.

"What does the symbol on your back mean?" Ruby inquired.

Kazuo seemed to stop for a moments before sighing. "It was the insignia for my father's unit in the marines. Symbolizing the fourth horseman of the apocalypse, Death."

"Horseman?" The term wasn't new to Ruby. However, in the way that Kazuo had put it, the term seemed a lot more... divine?

 _'I really need to ask Weiss to help expand my... vocabulary. Yeah, my vocabulary. Right?'_

"Yeah. Four horsemen shall ride unto the earth as harbingers of the Final Judgment of God. Pestilence, Famine, War, and Death," Kazuo explained, "wait, I think I got the order wrong. Does it really matter though?" He mumbled to himself.

"Anyway, we gotta go. It's already 7:05 and I need to be there by 7:20." He ushered Ruby out of the door as soon as she put on her boots.

After locking the door and checking to make sure it wouldn't open, the two walked to an elevator a few meters to their right. After getting off and walking through the lobby, they arrived on the sidewalk. Ruby got a few odd stares from the people around them, causing her to subconsciously lean towards Kazuo. Noticing her discomfort, Kazuo sent a few glares to anyone who stared for too long.

Ruby smiled up at him in gratitude. "Thanks. I didn't think the people here would have such different tastes in fashion. I mean granted that they're not completely different, back on Remnant, nobody ever stared at me weirdly when I was walking through the city."

Kazuo gave a small chuckle. "Heh. I'm surprised. You stick out like a sore thumb here. And I mean like, slammed by a door, stung by a bee, and smashed by a hammer, sore thumb. But I won't judge. If anybody wants to criticize your sense of fashion, then they'll have to talk to me first." He declared, giving her a smile.

And it was at this moment, that Ruby wondered if this was what it was like to have a big brother.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey guys! I managed to get around to writing, with all of my homework and all. Don't worry, I won't be going away anytime soon. Anyways, I did some thinking over the miniscule amount of free time I had, and I came up with a few ideas for this fic, especially a... plot twist? I don't know what people consider a plot twist, so I'm just going to say a surprise. Aside from all that, I'm sorry for all of those that have been reading this fic that I took so long getting back to writing it.**

 **Anyways, here's Chapter 3!**

* * *

 **Earth: City Streets...**

Kazuo and Ruby were walking through the city, side-by-side. Ruby's clothes got a few weird looks, but otherwise, a majority of the people were to busy to spare a glance at her. However, being the socially-awkward girl that she is, Ruby was a nervous wreck.

" _Kazuo!_ " She hissed.

Startled, Kazuo turned to her, "Y-Yeah?"

"Why are people looking at me?" She whispered. Kazuo rose an eyebrow before looking around. He saw a few heads quickly turn the other way, and he sighed.

"Don't pay them any mind." He advised, before turning back to the front. Ruby opened her mouth to respond, but immediately snapped her mouth shut. They continued to walk the streets until they stopped outside of a larger building, compared to the others around it. Ruby read the sign on the front.

"Jake's Piano and Organ Center? Why are we here?" Ruby asked her companion. Kazuo merely opened the door and gestured to the inside of the store.

"I'll show you. Go on in."

Ruby entered the store, and was greeted with the sight of a variety of beautiful pianos. She saw a piano with shiny black wood, and next to it, another with a white covering instead. She pressed down on one of the keys, a soft C# coming from the instrument. Suddenly, a middle-aged man, seemingly in his early-thirties, was next to her. He had light brown hair, and hazel-nut eyes. He was a fair bit taller than her, not as tall as Kazuo, with a semi-muscular build. The man was shaking his head.

"Miss, please don't play the pianos right now. I'm am waiting for my student to show up for his lesson." The man said in a kind, soft-spoken voice.

"Don't worry Jake, I'm right here." Kazuo said from behind the man. The man turned to him with a smile.

"Ah, Kazuo! How have you been doing lately?" The man, or Jake, asked.

"I've been doing well, thank you. And how is the shop? It seems kind of empty today."d

Jake looked around the room with a frown. "Yes. Apparently, there is a new shop a few blocks away that sells music. It's brand new, but I don't understand how children these days can listen to that dubstep crap."

Kazuo chuckled. "It's just their taste in music, I suppose."

The man grunted. "Rather poor, I'd say."

"Now, now. I don't think it's in our place to judge their opinions. Plus, didn't you like to listen to SandStorm?"

Jake let out a sharp bark of laughter. "My boy, that, aside from piano music, is real music!"

Ruby felt like a third-wheel at the moment. Kazuo noticed this and gestured to her. "Anyways, Jake, this is my friend, Ruby Rose." Ruby gave a small, shy wave.

"Hello there little lady." Jake greeted with a smile.

"Ruby, this is my piano teacher, Jake Roland."

Jake cleared his throat. "Kazuo, may I ask as to why you are two minutes late?" Jake asked, a smile too innocent to be real on his face.

"Um... I was showing Ruby around the town, on the way here." Kazuo replied. Jake nodded in satisfaction at his answer.

"Alright. I'll let it slide this time. Now, c'mon Kazuo, let's see what you've been working on." Jake said, motioning to the back of the building. At the back was a small room that had two pianos, side by side. One of the pianos was already occupied by a little girl. She had bleached, blonde hair, and she wore what looked like a blue and white version of Ruby's dress, minus the cape. Kazuo smirked deviously and went behind the girl, silent as a ghost. As soon as she finished playing a piece, he went close to her ear and...

" _Boo._ "

...the girl went flying out of her chair. Ruby went to Kazuo, who was laughing on the floor, and proceeded to slap him upside the head.

"Ow! What was that for?" He complained as he rubbed his head. He looked over to the little girl and found that she was in front of him, glaring at him with a calm smile. Somehow, the two expressions seemed to fit. And now that she was facing her, Ruby could see that she was about her own age, and had bright blue eyes that, even though she was glaring, seemed to scream kindness.

"Kaz..." The girl started.

"Y-Yeah?"

"Please explain to me why you did that?"

"..."

"...I see."

"..."

"You should run."

"Yeah, I'll go do that."

Kazuo got up and bolted out of the room, the girl following soon after. Ruby looked at the retreating forms of the two as they raced around the shop, in confusion.

"That, Ms. Rose, was Iris Blue," Jake said from beside her, "my best student next to Kazuo. Those two have a it of a rivalry, so sorry if they get a little animalistic."

Ruby nodded. "I'll keep that in mind." She went over to one of the pianos and sat down on the stool. The one she was sitting at was an obsidian black with a shiny, smooth surface. The keys of the piano were made out of wood, judging by the texture of them. Suddenly, she heard a soothing melody next to her, and she lulled with the music. Beside her, Jake was playing a soft, calming piece. A few minutes later,t he piece was broken when Kazuo and Iris returned to the room, panting.

"Ah! Nice to see you two are back! Now, come along Kazuo. We mustn't delay your lesson any longer." Jake said, getting up and patting the stool.

Kazuo complied and sat down, and Jake turned to Iris. "I'll see you on Monday, Iris." He told her. Iris nodded with a smile. As she made her way to the door, she noticed Ruby standing off to the side.

"Hello." Iris greeted.

"H-Hi."

"And who might you be?" Iris asked politely, that smile of hers never fading.

Kazuo popped up next to her. "This is Ruby Rose. Hey, I just realized, you guys are both named after flowers, right?" Kazuo pointed out as he adopted a thinking pose. Iris pondered that thought before extending her hand to Ruby, which she took.

"Yes, you're right. I do hope we get along Ruby." Iris said as she left, giving a small wave to the two of them.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Kazuo tapped her on the shoulder. He leaned down next to her ear. "She may seem all smiles and kindness," he whispered, "but underneath all that, she's a freakin' demon."

Ruby slugged him in the arm and gave him a playful glare. "That's not a nice thing to say."

Kazuo shrugged. "The truth hurts sometimes."

"Kazuo," Jake called, "are we going to continue with your lesson, or are we just going to sit around all day and chat?"

"Alright, alright, I'm coming." Kazuo walked over to the piano and sat down beside Jake, who had pulled up a folding chair next to the bench.

"Alright, let's see what you've been learning on your own."

Kazuo cracked his knuckles and rested his hands on the keys. "This one is called "This Game," from _No Game No Life_." He told Jake.

Jake sighed. "Another anime? Really?"

"What? I like anime!" Kazuo exclaimed, seemingly offended.

Ruby popped up beside the two. "Can you play a song for me?" She asked.

Kazuo adopted a cocky smile. "Can I?"

"...can you?"

"Of course I can! Just watch me." Kazuo said, turning to the piano.

He began to play, the song a soft and dreamy tone. Then, the song built up in volume, and in the span of a few moments, Kazuo's hands were soon flying across the keys, with precision and accuracy that Weiss would be jealous of. Ruby was sure of that.

When the song ended, she found herself disappointed that it did.

 **(A/N: If you want to listen to it, then just search up 'This Game Animenzz'.)**

Jake was still silent, even though the song was over. "Impressive work. However, you're a bit hesitant when you get to the climax of the song."

"How so?"

Jake played a chord absentmindedly. "You hesitated at the climax, simple as that. When playing music, you must be sure of what you are actually playing. If you aren't sure, then the emotions in the music will come out uneven, and the audience will notice."

"Y-Yes sir."

"Now start again. I'll point out to you where you hesitate." Jake instructed. Kazuo nodded, and began to play.

For the next 45 minutes, the piano lesson went on, with Jake pointing out small errors in Kazuo's playing. Towards the end of the lesson, Ruby would try to learn the piano as well. It was fun, and by the end of the lesson, Ruby was able to play the right hand part of a song that Jake called "Fur Elise".

They left soon after, and Ruby was a little sad about it. Noticing this, Kazuo patted her shoulder.

"Don't worry Ruby. We'll be back next Saturday." Kazuo reassured her. Ruby's eyes sparked at that, and she regained her cheery expression. Kazuo found it very hard to resist patting her head.

' _Just like a kid. Isn't she supposed to be fifteen?'_ He thought to himself. "Hey Ruby, how about we go and get some ice cream? You... know what that is, right?"

Ruby nodded, looking almost offended. "Of course I know what ice cream is! Who doesn't?"

Kazuo scratched the back of his head, a habit he had apparently gotten from his mother. "Well... it's just that... with you being from a different planet and all," Kazuo started, "I didn't know if you guys had the same things we do. It's still kind of odd that you can speak English even though you're from a different planet, though."

"Well... I mean, it is weird. But I can't really explain it." Ruby muttered. From the tone of her voice, Kazuo assumed she was frustrated.

"Hey, we'll figure it out. In the mean time, let's get some ice cream, and we'll talk about it at the shop, alright?" Kazuo smiled at her as they stopped outside of the nearby ice cream shop. He opened the door for Ruby and she walked inside. The shop was decently-sized, not too small but not exactly large. To her immediate left, next to the window, was a J-shaped counter that held the cash register, ice cream, and the toppings. The shop was nearly empty, aside from a small group of boys and girls in the far corner. Behind the counter was a bored-looking young woman, likely in her early twenties, with chestnut brown hair and matching eyes, along with a lightly tanned complexion. She was wearing a mint green work apron over a chocolate brown shirt and black pants, and she had on a little mint and chocolate hat in the shape of an ice cream swirl.

"Hey June." Kazuo greeted the woman. 'June' looked up from whatever she was doing and grinned.

"Hey Ka-Kaz!" June greeted in return, to Kazuo's chagrin.

"Can you not call me by that name?" Kazuo complained. June's grin became a teasing one as she shook her head.

"Nope! Can't do that Kazu!" June replied cheerfully. She soon felt the full force of Kazuo's glare.

" _How do you know that name?_ " He demanded in what one would assume anger. However, the red flushing his cheeks betrayed what he was trying to express.

June laughed, pointing at him while clutching her stomach. "Wouldn't you like to know?" She breathed out and wiped a tear from her eyes.

"Was it Jake? Or Mark? Or Gary? Or-"

June went to him and shoved her index finger in his face. She wagged it before saying, "Not telling you!"

He growled before huffing and walking away towards the ice cream bar. Ruby looked lost. June noticed her alternating glances between her and Kazuo and turned to her with a smile.

"Hello there! How may I help you?" June asked. Ruby shyly pointed a finger towards Kazuo, who was carefully examining the cartons of ice cream behind the glass display.

"I-I'm with him..." She squeaked. June gave a small nod and Ruby went over to Kazuo. When she reached his side she looked at the ice cream cartons alongside him. At the sight of the heavenly desert, all thoughts of shyness scattered from her mind. "They have strawberry!" she exclaimed, but her eyes especially lit up when she saw a specific carton next to the strawberry, "*Gasp* They have cookies and cream too?! This is the best ice cream shop ever!" Ruby exclaimed.

"True that, they have the most ice cream flavors in the town." Kazuo agreed. He too was busy looking at the assortment of flavors in front of him, although more calmly than the red reaper currently flying around him.

"Ruby, you decided which one you want yet?" He called out to her.

Her response was a 'no', and she continued to fly around the display. Kazuo sighed and just leaned on the counter, waiting for Ruby to decide. June leaned onto the counter as well. "Your girlfriend sure is somethin', ain't she?" She asked.

Her remark caused Kazuo to go bright red, and he immediately shook his head. "She's not my girlfriend!" He hissed at her. June had the biggest sh**-eating grin possible, and she continued with her onslaught.

"Are you suure~? You seem a little close to not be boyfriend and girlfriend~." She teased.

"Stop it June! For God's sake I only met her recently! Like, what? Yesterday, or two days ago?" He exclaimed, face redder than Ruby's cloak.

June's smile didn't leave her face, and she just waved him off. "Whatever you say Kazu."

"SHUT UP!"

* * *

Ruby was still having trouble deciding on which flavor of ice cream to choose. She vaguely heard the sounds of arguing somewhere to her left, most likely Kazuo's voice. But she was too busy to think about that. ' _There's so many flavors of ice cream here! It's just like when I went to... the one in Vacuo... With Yang._ '

Tears welled up in her eyes as she remembered her problem. Memories of her time in Remnant flooded her mind, and she wondered if she would ever get back. Doubts ran free in her mind, and soon, she was sobbing in the middle of the ice cream shop. Her sniffles were heard in the small ice cream shop, and she felt a hand lay upon her shoulder. She looked to find the hand's owner and saw that it was Kazuo, an expression of concern on his face.

"Hey Ruby, you alright?" He asked. She nodded slowly, trying to wipe the tears off of her face. She kept wiping at them, but they wouldn't stop falling.

"I-I'm f-fine. *Sniff* J-Just thinking a-about h-home. *Sniff*" Ruby murmured between sniffles. Kazuo frowned a little and rubbed circles on her back, in an attempt to comfort her. After a few seconds of back rubbing and whispering soothing words in one of the shop's booths, June came over with a cone of strawberry ice cream. She held it out Ruby with a comforting smile, who took it with a small smile of her own. The red reaper gave her thanks and dug into her ice cream, small sniffles still escaping her.

After Ruby finished her ice cream and wiped away her remaining tears, she and Kazuo left the ice cream shop and returned to Kazuo's apartment. On the way there, Kazuo and Ruby engaged in small conversations, in which Ruby told him of her childhood in Remnant.

"...yeah, she's a little protective of her hair. Almost as protective as she is of me! I remember one time when Dad tried taking her to a barber shop when she was 10. And... let's just say that the barbers their are extremely wary of blondies with really long hair." When Ruby was finished telling Kazuo about her sister, he chuckled.

"She sounds like a heck of a sister." Kazuo said with smile. Ruby returned the gesture, but looked down in sadness.

"Yeah... she is." She muttered. The heterochromic boy frowned and lightly ruffle her hair.

"Hey, don't get all sad on me now. C'mon, today's Saturday, enjoy it!"

Ruby smiled at Kazuo's enthusiasm. "Thanks. What about you? Do you have any siblings?"

Immediately, Kazuo stopped walking, and his expression darkened. Ruby noticed that his right eye changed from it's bright red color into a dull gray. "Yeah. Four of 'em." He replied.

Ruby noted the monotonous edge that was now present in Kazuo's voice. "Hey Kazuo, are... are you okay?"

Kazuo nodded slowly, sluggishly. "Yeah... never better. Let's just get to my apartment. I feel tired."

"Alright..." Ruby slowly began walking again. Now it was her turn to worry. From what she knew from Remnant, grey was the color of sadness and gloominess. And his right eye still had not changed from being gray. As they arrived in front of Kazuo's apartment, Ruby stepped in front of him.

"Kazuo... what's wrong?" She asked him, deep worry etched into her facial features. She moved when Kazuo tried to walk around her, blocking his way.

"Kazuo..."

"I'm fine. It's... it's nothing." Kazuo tried to smile at her, but instead, it came out as a pained grimace.

Ruby shook her head. "It's clearly _not_ 'nothing'!"

"JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" He roared back. Ruby jumped, not missing the fact that Kazuo's right eye was now a deep, blood red.

Ruby frowned, but left him alone.

* * *

It was quiet in the apartment. Ruby sat silently on the couch, thinking about what had happened in front of the building. As of the current moment, Kazuo was in his room, sleeping. She was thinking about the boy's eyes. More specifically, his right eye. "How does it change colors like that?" She whispered to herself. It reminded her of Yang and how her lilac eyes turned red when she lost her temper. But... his case was different. Instead of only one color, it switched through two others. Blood red, different from it's vibrant, bright red, and a dull gray.

She wanted to help him, she really did. But if he wouldn't tell her what was wrong, then how could she? She needed to find out what was wrong with Kazuo. But first, she needed help, a friend of his.

She needed June.

* * *

 **A/N: Alright guys, I am very sorry for not updating lately, it's just that... never mind. I'm not going to rattle off excuses to you guys. You don't need to hear that! Anyways, thank you guys for reading, and i'll see you guys next time!**

 **IU13, signing out!**


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